It's been 3 years

Hello all,

Lady Bug here. Well Monday, the 21st of Nov was 3 years since I left my momma for Rainbow Bridge for a life without suffering. I am doing very well up here and have lots of friends. I watch over my momma but she doesn't see me. Once in a while I will come to her in her dreams but not very often. She still misses me alot but Maiya and Renny keep her occupied so she doesn't dwell on the fact that I am not physically. I miss my momma also but I am happy now that I can walk again and breathe well again and I have my sister up here with me now so all is good.

Thank you to everyone for being friends with my momma and Maiya and Renny.

Love and Hugs to all!

Momma here................My Sweet Angel Lady Bug, I miss you dearly and please know that I think about you and Cinder every day. I brought your videos with me on this trip to see your grandpa so I can look at them as I do every year since you have gone. I love you and miss you my sweet angel girl!!!!!!!!!

Momma

Lady Bug's Crossing Day Anniversary

Today is 1 year ago that I had to let Lady go to Rainbow Bridge. I miss her every single day.

My Dearest Lady Bug,

Today is a sad day for me but at the same time I know you are pain free. I hope that you are happy and able to run and play and be young again with no health problems. You had a rough life from the very beginning. You always were having to go to the doctor for something being wrong from your enlarged bladder when you were just a pup right after I brought you home to the many ear infections and then you had the impacted stomach that led to almost half your life spent fighting problems from that until the last 2 years of your life when I was finally able to get the doctors to sew up your back. You had almost a full year of not having anything wrong until the last year of your life where you suffered with the pnuemonia that led to almost having kidney failure and then at the same time your back legs started failing you, that I believe was spinal stenosis.

Through all of this you still met me at the door every day so very happy to see me and still followed me from room to room. You were my first dog and you tought me so much about unconditional love.

You have touched a place so deep in my soul, a place I didn't know could be touched. I will never forget you and I will love you every day. I miss giving you big hugs and I miss the hugs you would give me back and the kisses you would give me.

You are my sweet angel!!!!!!!! Rest in peace.

I love you Lady Bug.

Mommy

Tagged By Maizy!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the new edition of 2009 get to know your pals.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS
Copy this diary entry and paste into your diary and delete my answers - then you can fill in your own. We can get to know our pals better!! Have fun! Then send a rosette OR send p-mail to 4 pals and ask them to post in their diary!!!!

I've been tagged by good furiend Maizy :

1. What color is your collar?
I had a red one that is mostly what I wore, but mommy bought me a black one with diamonds (Lady's momma here......it was really rhinestones but we won't tell her that) a short time before I went to rainbow bridge. My harness was red.

2. What kind of food do you eat?
I used to eat Purina OM and sometimes Blue Buffalo Lamb and Rice then for the last month or so I got to eat canned food cause that was all I would eat besides people food of course.

3. What are your favorite treats?
Cheese, peanut butter and whatever my mom was eating.

4. Do you have a Valentine or significant other?
No, I never had one.

5. Do you get Table Scraps?)
Yessiree bob you bet I do and if they aren't given freely I would try to steal them.

6. What is your favourite toy?
It used to be a golf ball when I was a young pup and then I like my chuck it frisbee (not that I would chase and fetch it but I like playing tug of war with it).

7. When is your Birthday?
January 26, 1994

8. How many times a day do you get to eat?
Two times a day... in the morning & again in the evening!

9. Do you have a favorite color?
Red but black was nice on me also, but of course we could wear anything since we have neutral coloring.....BOL!!!

10. Do you hope all your pals put this in their diary?
Yes I do, but only if they want to.

PALS I TAGGED:
1. Birdy
2. Sparky
3. Wellington
4. Ember

I was Tagged by Birdy........................

Birdy tagged me so I am going to write my 7 things>>>>

1. I don't like baths...........but when I would have to take one after my mommy would dry me off with a towel, she would open the door from the bathrooma nd I would take off running as fast as I could through the house and stop real fast and turn around and run real fast in the other direction. I would do this 3 or 4 times and sometimes I wouldn't stop to turn I would jsut turn at full speed. Woo Hooo!!!!!!!!! Then she would dry me with the hair dryer....I loved that part!

2. My favorite treats are cheese, ice cream and peanut butter (Jif) cause choosy moms choose Jif. BOL!!!!!!!!

3. I loved to go for rides in the car and when I lived in Peachtree City Georgia I loved riding on the golf cart, I was even in the city's 4th of July parade on our golf cart one year.

4. I don't like getting wet........if it was raining I wouldn't go outside to potty unless it was raining all day and I couldn't wait any longer.

5. I like to sleep with my mommy no matter where she is sleeping.

6. I would pull my mommy's arm and make her get down so I could kiss her when she got home if she tried to do something else first.

7. I always knew when it was 8:00pm ------- time for my treat!!!!!!!!!

I am tagging Spotz, Deanna Troi and Patch!!!

Those of you I have tagged must give us all 7 things we never knew you.

I found this poem today to us from the ones we have lost

"My Forever Friend"
I know that it must be different now,
that I am no longer here. I can see
how much I was loved, and how all of you did care.

It will be hard at first when you look
around for me, hoping to find
me lying on my bed, or outside
beside my favorite tree.

But someday what you will
begin to see, although it'll
take some time, is that you
brought happiness to me,
and forever it will be mine.

Remember, it's the family
I had, that meant the
most to me, so please
don't be sad, it was just my time
to leave.

Note from mommy to Lady Bug: I know you had to go but it still hurts me so. I look at your picture and your toys and remember the good times as well as the sad ones when you were sick. I know you aren't sick or hurting anymore but it is still so fresh to me that I still cry. My arms are so empty and with the holidays here it is even harder. I know I will be okay as time goes on but you will always be in my heart and soul. I miss you deeply my sweet Lady Bug!

Today is 1 month since I crossed Rainbow Bridge

Hi my sweet baby girl,

Today is 1 month since your crossing rainbow bridge but it still feels like it was just a couple days ago. I think about you and talk to you on a daily (sometimes multiple times a day) basis. I miss you so much and am sad that you won't be here to unwrap presents this Christmas. I always loved to give you your presents and watch you unwrap them with such gusto. Sometimes I cry myself to sleep thinking of you. I wonder why I haven't seen any "signs" from you yet. I don't know if it is because you are just waiting and letting me get further along in the grieving process or is it that I am just not "in tune" and able to see the signs or is it that I am wanting to see the signs so badly, that it keeps from them.

We ordered the urn for your ashes yesterday and everytime I see a picture of it, it just moves me. It reminds me of when you used to jump up and pull my arm so that I would squat down and you could give me a hug and kiss when I got home. Oh how I miss that.

I will put a picture of it on your page.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and miss you very much and tell you that I love you so much my sweet angel.

Love,
Mommy

Lady will be forever in my heart and soul

Lady has been pretty sick for the last 6 months but has had different problems off and on for a while. Many years ago she had an impacted stomach whcih was fixed with no problems but during that process the heating pad the emergency vet had her on was too warm for too long on her back which led to a huge infection on her back that became a big open wound. But without going into detail about it because it is too graphic, I was finally able to get her healed to the point that 2 years ago just before Thanksgiving (right about this time) she was able to have surgery to close the remaining wound that wouldn't close on its own. We were so happy because she wasn't having to be bothered by the wound anymore and she was able to run around and be happy and play again.

Then this year she got sick with a cough that took many trips to the vet and lots of different meds and tests and found out eventually that she had 2 different types of bacteria in one of her lungs and what looked like a bit of bronchitis. We put her on antibiotics to no avail it wasn't helping so after several different rounds of that, I got a referral up to NC State vet school who did more extensive tests and discovered that she had yet another type of bacteria in her lungs and bronchial pneumonia. So of course we put her on different antibiotics and antiinflammatories. During all this time her back legs have started to weaken and her back feet would roll when she walked but it was mild and the pneumonia was a worse problem so we concentrated on that and put her on Rimadyl for her back legs. THe pneumonia seemed to be clearing but was not going away completely so we had to continue her on the antibiotics. She got to the point where she wouldn't eat for several days but was still drinking water and lots of it. We ran a blodd test and found that she was going into kidney failure. We thought it might be due the the meds for her back legs so we took her off of that and had to give her fluids under the skin for about 3 or 4 days and that brought her kidney levels back to normal so we decided not to put her back on those meds. During this time her back legs were getting progressively worse. She was having trouble going up and down stairs, standing for too long and she was wobbly when she walked. But get those 2 back legs moving in the same direction at the same time and she could run.

Anyway, we finally got her to the point that the cough was almost gone so I thought the pneumonia was pretty much gone and since she had been on antibiotics for so many months I decided that she had had enough of that or she was going to become immune to the antibiotics.

She has been on tramadol for her back legs and it helps her to be able to walk a little better but over the last month or two she has been on a rapid decline with her legs and the cough is starting to get worse again. Although her brain still thinks she is a pup, her body just couldn't keep up. Then the last 3 weeks have been progressively worse to where she was having more trouble walking and holding herself up when she would squat to go potty, she would sometimes fall and I would have to help her up. (Over the last several months we have been having to help her up steps and carry her down the stairs in the house). She hasn't been able to be left at home by herself because if she falls she can't get herself up so she has been going to work with me everyday. Then over the last week she has gotten really slow and can barely make it up her ramp.

So this morning her doctor came to the house and we had her put to sleep. This is a very difficult day for us. I have loved this little girl and taken care of her for almost 15 years and just sitting her typing this email is tough because I can't hear her walking around and her nails clicking on the floor or her ringing the bell to go out.

I am pretty sure she was ready to go and she has been hanging on for me. When I had my husband bring down her blanket that she slept on every night and put it on the sofa, I sat down with it and asked her to come up. She normally would ignore me and continue to visit with the guests in the house but instead she came right up and layed down on her blanket. I held her, petted and kissed her her and told her how mcuh I love her and continued to do this as the vet administered the sedation and even after he gave her the last shot.

Rest in peace my sweet baby girl Lady Bug.
Jan 26, 1994 - Nov 21, 2008

November 20, 2008 Lady has to go to Rainbow Bridge tomorrow

Today was a very hard day. I had to go to the vet's office and finalize the arrangements for Lady to go to Rainbow Bridge tomorrow morning. I have such mixed emotions even though I know it is the right thing to do. Having to go in and sign the authorization/order for euthenasia was devastating. I went in and did this without Lady and then I forced myself to get my crying stopped so I could go out and get her out of the car and bring her in so that the girls at the vet's office that have grown so fond of her could see her one last time. They were all so wonderful, they just petted her and talked to her as if they were just visiting with her. One of the the two vets that have treated Lady came outside to the car to see her and she cried to. That tells me how attached they became to my girl.

She has really slowed down the last few days and just doesn't look comfortable alot of the time. It is difficult for her to walk up her ramp and she is having problems having bowl movements. She just goes out and paces around for a while and then comes back in having done nothing and then 5 or 10 minutes later she goes out agian and paces some more and she will do this several times before she is able to have a bowel movement.

She is really struggling with getting herself up to adjust her position when she is laying down and wants to turn around or something so I help her get up so she can lay a different way. Her back feet roll forward even more now and she falls down alot because her back legs just give out.

Her cough is getting worse again so that tells me that she just isn't kicking this bronchial pneumonia.

Anyway they are coming to the house tomorrow morning to help her go off to rainbow bridge where she can feel good again.

I am going to miss her so much. I love this little girl with all my heart and soul.

Lady's progression as of Nov 16, 2008

Lady's back legs are very weak and she has alot of trouble standing up and walking. She can eventually after some help when she gets up. I have to hold he up for a minute and I rub her legs to try to help. I don't really know if it does but it doesn't hurt to try. Her legs will just be straight and stiff so I have to coax them into flexing and then her feet roll and you have to place them an her pads so she can walk. After that she can walk although a bit wobbly. If she gets in too big of a hurry they can't keep up with her and she falls and I have to go and help her up most of the time. She also has trouble keeping he balance on them when she goes potty and when she is squatting sometimes her legs give out and she falls again and I have to pick her up so we can continue walking so she can eventually finish going potty.

Because she has so much trouble she can't be left home alone so she goes to work every day with me. I have the back seat of my car all plushed up for her and she hangs out there while I am at work. Now please don't anyone get upset that she is in the car so long. I go out many times a day and take her for walks and give her food and water.

She actually is very happy and forces her wait out the door every morning to make sure I don't leave her at home. Then sometimes when we get home if I happen to be in the garage doing laundry and she goes out there with me she will stand by the car and won't come in the house because she wants to go for a ride.

Luckily the weather here has been comfortable so it hasn't been a problem leaving her in the car during the day.